Freedom Has A Price
by pixiepup
Summary: Georgie is a diplomat's wife, held hostage by terrorists. Who will be able to save her and at what cost? An Elvis and Georgie AU. Characters belong to Tony Grounds.
1. Chapter 1

**Trying something new.** **Let me know what you think? xx**

 **Freedom Has a Price**

 **Raqqa, Syria**

The sound of the water dripping into the bucket, in the corner of her cell, was all she could think about. The noise consumed her. Was this what they meant by Chinese water torture? She guessed so. Maybe she was just going mad. Almost two years of captivity and the torture both physical and mental had taken its toll, leaving her in a fragile state of mind. She had given up the idea that Cam would ever come for her. In the early months of her captivity she'd held fast in her belief that he and her parents would orchestrate her rescue but she'd long since realised that no one was coming for her. This was her life from now on, she needed to get used to it or find some way to end it. The regular beatings, administered for any imagined or manufactured wrongdoing, she could withstand. She was able to switch off mentally and use the pain to focus her mind. But the sexual assaults she had been subjected to were unbearable. Her skin crawled at the thought of any of _them_ touching her. It was those assaults that would break her, be the cause of her demise, she knew that much.

###

Georgina Lane-Stephens had led a charmed life. The eldest daughter of Lord Maxwell Lane and Lady Grace Lane. Her father came from a long line of wealthy industrialists and her mother was an heiress of the Guinness family. Wealth and prosperity were all Georgie had known growing up. She had graduated from Oxford University with a first class degree in modern languages, speaking French, Italian and Spanish fluently with some Arabic and Mandarin. It was during an internship at the Foreign Office, as an interpreter, that she had met Cameron Stephens, an up and coming minister who was being groomed for great things by those in high office. Georgie's parents, seeing the potential of such a match encouraged the relationship and within months they were married. The marriage was a fairly happy one, they enjoyed each other's company and had a good sex life. There were no fireworks as such, at least not on Georgie's side, but she was content. She had been brought up to expect a marriage that was as much for political purposes as for love. _Family loyalty first_ , that was the Lane family motto.

Two years into their marriage, Cameron was appointed as Deputy Chief of Mission to the British Embassy in Damascus, second only in command to the Ambassador. The appointment was considered to be a significant achievement for someone so young. Georgie and Cameron set off for Damascus with excitement. They quickly settled into the expat lifestyle and Cameron was able to make some significant contributions, earning him the trust and support of the Ambassador and also earning him a good reputation back home in the Foreign Office. But by early the following year, it was becoming clear that it was untenable for British Embassy staff to remain in Syria. President Assad had suppressed and violated the human rights of his people for too long, civil war was brewing and diplomatic ties with the UK were failing. The British Embassy staff were told they would soon be recalled to the UK.

Georgie, not being one to sit around looking decorative, had been volunteering regularly at Red Cross camps across the region, much to the dismay of her parents who felt it far too dangerous for her to be travelling outside of Damascus on a regular basis. But Georgie could see the death and suffering all around her and wanted to do something useful with her time and not just her money, to help these people.

It was on her last excursion to one of the camps, before returning to the UK, that she had been kidnapped. The Embassy car in which she had been travelling had been targeted and the driver and support vehicle staff murdered. Georgie had been dragged from the vehicle by her hair and the life of privilege, she once knew, had ended abruptly.

###

For several months she had been chained in the dark with little food. She had been moved from place to place for the first year but for the last 9 or 10 months they had stayed put in this compound. She assumed she was still in Syria but in which town she did not know. Eventually, she had been allowed some freedom to undertake menial tasks like cleaning and cooking for those who held her captive but she still spent many hours a day locked in a small cell with the dripping tap. Her Arabic had improved during her time at the embassy and she was able to understand most of what they said but she was careful to keep that knowledge from her captors. On the rare occasion that they spoke to her, they did so mostly in broken English. Other hostages had come and gone, some they had killed and some they had sold or traded on but for some reason they kept her alive and with them. The horrors she had witnessed whilst in captivity knew no bounds. She had seen innocent people beheaded, burned alive and stoned to death. Every day, she wondered if that was the fate she also would meet today. The men who held her were pure evil but she'd had to do her best to form a human bond with them. She'd read somewhere that, that was the best thing to do in a hostage situation, to bond with your captors, to make them see you as human. Although she was not at all sure that these men could ever be described as anything close to human!

###

Eshan was her guard today. Georgie was always slightly more relaxed when Eshan was on guard duty. Although he was one of _them_ , she never felt threatened in his presence. He was relatively new, he'd been recruited from another cell about three months ago from what she could make out. For the first couple of months, Ghaazi, the cell commander, had been keeping him pretty busy, sending him out on patrols and recruitment drives. But more recently he'd been allocated guard duties at the compound. She saw him watching her curiously sometimes and although that should make her feel uncomfortable, for some reason, it failed to do so. If any of the others had looked at her the way Eshan did, it would have made her very nervous. He was English, she was fairly certain. He spoke some Arabic but was not fluent. He was one of a handful of British converts she had come across during her time in captivity. Quite often the converts were the cruellest though and she had given up trying to make small talk with them, after the first few beatings for talking without permission, so now she only spoke when invited to do so or when she was asked a question.

Georgie had been told by Ghaazi to prepare some food for the evening meal. It appeared that they were to be receiving visitors and he seemed keen to impress them. He had instructed Eshan to provide whatever help she needed in preparing the meal. Georgie was perched on a chair trying to reach a pan she needed high up on the shelf. The pan was wedged in tight and as she pulled, she lost her balance. Suddenly she was conscious of a pair of strong arms supporting her weight as she toppled towards the floor. Georgie looked up and found herself staring into a pair of warm brown eyes. 'Friendly eyes' if she was not mistaken. It had been so long since she'd received any human kindness that tears sprang to her eyes. "Thank you." She said, her voice breaking with emotion. Eshan nodded kindly and released her gently to her feet, making sure she was balanced before releasing her. As he removed his arms from around her waist, Georgie suddenly felt bereft. What was wrong with her? How could she be feeling so devastated at the loss of his touch? He was one of them, she admonished herself. It must just be a reaction to being starved of gentle human contact for so long. She shook herself out of her reverie and set about the business of making the meal. Punishment would be severe if she messed this up. She shuddered.

Eshan sat in the corner of the room, watching her. His scrutiny made her clumsy and uncomfortable but not for the same reason that it would, were it one of the others watching her so closely. After a while, he got up and went to the window to survey the scene outside, most of the men were in the ops room, presumably preparing for the important meeting later. He then went to the doorway and checked the corridor. Only when he was certain there was no one in earshot he asked quietly, in perfect English, "What is your name?" Georgie was so surprised at being spoken to that she nearly dropped the pot she was holding. She turned abruptly to look at him standing in the doorway. Could she trust him or was this some cruel trick? Understanding her dilemma, he said gently. "It's ok, you can trust me, I won't hurt you." He looked at her encouragingly.

"Georgie." She replied hesitantly. "Georgina Stephens."

He nodded, looking relieved. "I thought it was you, but I couldn't be sure in that get-up." He said, referring to her niqab. "And neither Ghaazi nor the others are giving much away about you." Eshan continued, checking the corridor again.

Georgie stared at him in shock. "Do you know who I am then? Do you know me?" She stuttered.

"Oh yes, you're the reason I'm here. I've come to help you. I'm getting you out of here Georgie, I'm getting you out of here."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for your lovely reviews. I'm so glad you are enjoying it. x

 **Chapter** **2**

Georgie was stunned, feeling slightly dizzy, she reached for the edge of the table to steady herself. She'd long since given up believing that she would ever see another friendly face, let alone one who was going to try to help her escape. So many thoughts raced through her mind. Could she really trust him? Was it even possible to escape? Was she dreaming and would she wake up in her cell at any moment?

Eshan watched her carefully. He knew what she must be thinking. Before embarking on this mission he'd had a thorough briefing on the psyche of kidnap victims. "Look I know it's a lot to take in after all ya must have been through but your family have never given up on you. They've been working on your release the whole time you've been gone. They were lobbying the foreign office for months to get us out here looking for ya. I was told to give ya the code word 'Artemis' to confirm who I am. They said ya would be able to give me a code word to confirm your identity."

Georgie smiled to herself, Artemis was the name of her first pony when she was growing up, she had adored that pony and had been devastated when she had died. She thought for a moment. "I guess it must be Ares." Ares had been the brother of her pony, the two had been inseparable. Eshan confirmed her code word with a brief nod.

"You said 'us'? How many of you are there?" She asked hopefully. She was doubtful that just one man would be enough to get her out of her current predicament.

"A few, embedded in the various cell that are known to hold hostages across the region." He replied evasively. "Looking for you and gathering intelligence." His training didn't allow him to impart any more information than was strictly necessary.

"So you're the only one here in this compound then?" She observed, sounding a little disappointed. "Whilst I'm so glad and grateful that you're here for me, I'm not sure how just you, on your own, will be able to get us both out of here in one piece."

"My job is to get ya out of here alive. And that is exactly what I intend to do, so just let me worry about how I'm going to do that." He said with more confidence than he felt. "I'll do my best to get a message back to London, that I've found ya, when I'm next sent out on patrol. So at least your family will know you're still alive. First things first though, we need to get this food cooked or both you and I will lose our heads before the day is over." He pointed out, with a grimace. "Ghaazi has another cell commander coming here for a meeting later to discuss a new joint offensive. We can talk as you cook. I'll keep an eye on the door. You keep watch out the window and let me know if you see anyone approaching from the ops room, ok?"

Georgie nodded. He was right, the priority at the moment was to stay alive and that meant doing what she'd been ordered to do by Ghaazi and not incur his wrath. A little glimmer of hope was unfurling in her belly though. She'd not allowed herself to believe such a miracle was possible but here it was standing before her in the form of a man, her saviour, or so she hoped. She carried on with her preparations whilst Eshan kept watch and she kept an eye out the window. "You're good at that." Eshan said, pointing to the food she was cooking. "Really organised. My family are Italian and my mum cooks for everyone, all the time. You could give her a run for her money, cooking for this lot!" He said the last part with clear distaste.

"I'd never cooked before this." Georgie told him, gesturing to their surroundings. "My family are wealthy, we always had servants at home. Cam, my husband, always used to joke that I could burn toast! It's amazing what a little fear will do for you though, I learned pretty quickly with a rifle pointed at my head!"

"Have ya been with this same group the whole time? Was it them that abducted ya?" Eshan asked, trying to change the subject. Georgie confirmed that, that was indeed the case. She gave him a brief rundown on what had happened to her since her kidnap, leaving out some of the gorier details. Even without all the facts, he could tell that she'd been through absolute hell. He felt enormous respect for this woman who had suffered so much but had managed to hold it together for the best part of two years, in the most horrific circumstances. Not many people would have survived what she had. During the months he had been at the compound watching her from afar, trying to ascertain her identity, he had been impressed with the way she handled herself. She kept her head down and didn't court trouble but she had a certain poise and dignity about her that you couldn't help but admire.

"I assume you're a soldier then, have you done anything like this before?" She wanted to know.

He nodded. "Yeah, I've worked under cover before. I'm Special Forces, it comes with the territory." He informed her.

"I guess Eshan's not actually your real name then?" Georgie guessed.

"Nah, it's not but it's best I don't tell ya what that is, in case ya let it slip by accident." She nodded, accepting the truth of what he said. After all, their lives depended on keeping this secret and he was risking his life to save hers. No matter the outcome of this situation, she would be eternally grateful to him for that.

When the meal was almost ready, Ghaazi sent one of his men, Mahib, to check on progress. Eshan informed him, that it was nearly ready and that they would bring the food through to the ops room shortly. After giving Georgie a sharp poke in the back with the butt of his rifle and telling her to get a move on, Mahib went back to relay the information to Ghaazi.

When he was out of earshot, Eshan said to her, through gritted teeth. "I would love nothing more than to put a bullet through that fucker's head but if we're gonna survive this, we've got to play the long game. We're not likely to get out of here overnight, it could take weeks or even months. What's important now is that ya stay alive. No matter what that involves, you must keep yourself alive. Do ya understand what I'm saying?" He asked her, staring into her eyes for confirmation that she knew what he was demanding of her. Georgie felt a lump in her throat. She knew what he meant. She'd lasted this long by submitting to them, she could do it for a little longer couldn't she? She nodded, blinking back tears.

He felt a knife twist in his guts at having to ask this of her. Although her face was covered by a veil and he could only see her eyes, the suffering he saw in them was hard for him to stomach. He _was_ going to get her out of here, if it was the last thing he did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you so much to those of you who take the time to review, it really does help inspire the writing. x**

 **Chapter** **3**

Cameron Stephens put down his phone, he was beaming. The Lanes looked at him eagerly awaiting his news. Grace clutching her husband's arm, asked Cameron. "Well, what did they say?"

"They've heard from one of their operatives who is undercover in a terrorist cell in Raqqa, he's found her, she's alive!" Cameron advised them, with excitement. "She's alive!"

Grace's hands flew to her mouth to stifle the cry of shock mingled with joy that gurgled up in her throat. She looked up at her husband, who was struggling to rein in his own emotions. "He's sure it's her, it's definitely our Georgie?" Max wanted to know.

"Yes, he has spoken to her and they traded code words. They're sure it's her." Cameron confirmed.

"When can they get her out of there? When can we bring our girl home?" Grace asked eagerly. Cameron's face clouded over. "That's not quite so straightforward Grace." Cameron replied, not meeting her eyes. "It's one thing locating her, it's quite another extracting her from a terrorist compound, in the centre of a terrorist held city. The Brigadier assured me they have their best man in the compound with her, an extremely experienced Special Forces officer by the name of Harte, Elvis Harte. He said they are quite confident that, with time, he will find a way to get her out. We just have to be patient I'm afraid."

Grace looked crestfallen, she had known all this but with the excitement of hearing that Georgie was alive, after waiting all this time for news, her emotions had carried her away making her believe that it would now be easy to extract her _little_ girl from that hellhole. She turned her face into Max's shoulder to hide her tears. Max hugged her to him and sighed. "So I guess we just go back to waiting and praying." He said, dejectedly to his son in law.

"I'm afraid so." Cameron agreed. "We _will_ get her back, I know we will. We just have to put our faith in this Harte chap doing his job. The Brigadier seemed to have a very high regard for his abilities. I just hope he is as good as they say he is."

####

Elvis was surveying the scene before him, he was out on a raid with Ghaazi and half a dozen of the others to basically terrorise the local community and appropriate food or anything else of value that they came across. It made him want to vomit, being involved in such barbarous activities but he was under strict instructions from his superiors, not to break his cover unless absolutely necessary.

It was also during these sorties that he was sometimes able to meet up with his contact to pass information back to London. It had been several weeks since he had confirmed the identity of Georgina Stephens and he had managed to get a message back to her family that she was alive. He had however, since then, had few opportunities to talk to her.

Ghaazi was currently parading a young man up and down the street, accusing him of being a spy for the Syrian Democratic Forces who were seeking to liberate the city. A crowd had gathered and there was much shouting and jeering. Elvis could feel the tension rising in the crowd. The young man, it appeared, was the son of one of the town elders, a very well respected family. Suddenly all hell broke loose, gunfire erupted from the crowd and Ghaazi was hit, he went down screaming. His men opened fire on all around them, men, women and children! Elvis considered what to do. He didn't want to kill any of the townspeople but by the same token, he didn't want to be killed by one of them. He decided to try to win some brownie points by saving Ghaazi, if he was still alive.

When the shooting had started he had ducked down behind a truck parked on the street, he peered through between the cab and the trailer. He could see Ghaazi writhing about on the floor, his guards had completely deserted him in the chaos. Elvis smiled to himself. He could milk this opportunity if he played it right. The truck they had arrived in from the compound was unattended nearby. Elvis decided that the best move was to get to the truck and to pick Ghaazi up on his way past. As he made a dash for the truck, he let off a few rounds of gunfire just above the heads of some of the townspeople just in case he was being watched by any of Ghaazi's men. He needed to make it look like he was actively involved in the battle. As he reached the truck he looked back to see where the other men from the compound were. They were all busy trading gunfire with whoever had opened fire on them earlier. Elvis guessed they were a small cell of SDF who had managed to infiltrate the city. Elvis put the truck into gear and screeched up to where the cell commander was lying on the ground, writhing in agony. Luckily, the battle had moved on down the street a little way and Elvis leapt from the truck to drag the wounded man into the passenger seat. He screeched off picking up a couple of other members of the cell who had broken away from the fighting and were running towards him.

####

Georgie had been dragged in to administer first aid to Ghaazi's wounds, whilst a doctor was being sought locally. She had a little medical experience from her time volunteering at the Red Cross camps. He was bleeding profusely from the hole in his shoulder where the bullet had passed straight through. She was able to clean up his wound and he was now shouting and cursing at her as she bandaged it. She was trying her best to be gentle but her hands were shaking and the wound had to be bandaged tightly in order to staunch the bleeding. Elvis was watching her with sympathy, whatever she did would not be right, she could not win. As she finished, Elvis winced as Ghaazi kicked her away from him in his pain and fury at having been shot.

"I'll return the woman to her cell." Elvis offered, stepping forward and grabbing her by the arm to help her up. The commander just grunted and turned to his second in command to discuss the retribution he intended to wreak upon the townspeople that had harboured the SDF cell. Just as Elvis got Georgie to the door Ghaazi shouted. "Wait!" Elvis and Georgie both froze. Elvis turned slowly to face him.

"You did well today Eshan, you deserve a reward. Take the woman for the night and enjoy yourself." Ghaazi gave him a salacious grin that turned Elvis' stomach. But he managed to nod his acceptance of _the_ _gift_ before he turned and gently pushed Georgie out of the door ahead of him.

 **So, finally, a little alone time for them to hatch their escape plan maybe? x**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay in updating. This part of the story will be covered in two chapters. Hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think. xx**

 **Chapter 4**

Elvis found a quiet room at the back of the compound and held the door open for Georgie to enter. "It's ok." He reassured her, quietly. "Nothing's going to happen, it will just give us an opportunity to talk uninterrupted." Her body visibly sagged in relief and she nodded. He could tell that this had probably happened to her many times before during her captivity. He wanted to put his arms around her and tell her it would all be ok but he knew that wasn't the right thing to do, however great the sympathy he felt for her and beside that, it would be totally unprofessional on his part.

Georgie stood self consciously in the corner of the room looking at him anxiously, awaiting the next command. She'd obviously become conditioned to only react when ordered to do so. Elvis gestured to a chair in the opposite corner. "Sit down and make yourself comfortable." He offered gently. Slowly, she edged towards the chair and lowered herself down. Elvis moved a table, that was against one wall, in front of the door, so they would have some warning if anyone tried to get in. He laid his rifle down on the table. Grabbing another chair, he asked Georgie if she minded him placing it beside hers, explaining that they would have to talk extremely quietly, so they needed to be in close proximity to hear each other. She nodded her consent.

He noticed a difference in her demeanour, he could sense the change. The captivity was really starting to wear her down. He wondered what else may have happened, since they last spoke, to have caused such a change.

Elvis knew he would have to be very careful with her, she was on the verge of some kind of breakdown, he guessed. So he chatted to her for a while to try to put her at ease, they talked about Syria and Elvis updated her about what was happening across the country and at home. Elvis also asked her how she knew what to do with Ghaazi's wound. Although, he had read her file, so knew about her experience in the Red Cross camps. They talked about her family and he told her what he knew about their campaign to get her back.

When he felt she was starting to relax a little, Elvis suggested, "you can remove the veil, if you want to." Georgie's eyes widened, then slowly filled with tears. Elvis quickly repeated. "Only if you want to!" He was doing his best to make her comfortable, he could see she was struggling. She nodded, then, raising her trembling hands towards the veil, she pulled it off and also removed her hijab at the same time. She smiled timidly at Elvis and he gave her a reassuring smile in return.

"Oh my god! I can finally breathe. I always feel like I'm suffocating in that thing." She murmured running her fingers through her brunette locks, absentmindedly.

Elvis just sat observing her; he was completely captivated. He'd seen pictures of her during his many briefings, but he couldn't help thinking that her photographs did not do her justice, _at all_. The images had shown a striking looking woman but in the actual flesh, he found her to be incredibly beautiful and naturally vibrant, even as subdued, by her experience, as she was.

Realising that he was staring, he quickly averted his gaze and said the first thing that popped into his head. "Your husband will be pleased to have you back."

She gave a weak, slightly embarrassed smile. "Yes, I hope so. Although ours is no great love story." She saw him give her an odd look. Why was she telling this virtual stranger such personal information? It was most unlike her but something about the freedom she felt, finally being liberated from her head coverings, made her feel that she could say and do anything she wanted in that moment.

Elvis was intrigued by her. What did she mean by that? Both her husband and her parents had seemed equally keen to have her rescued, from what he had heard. "Was it some kind of arranged marriage you had then?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I suppose you could call it something like that. It was definitely more of a political alliance than anything else, although we do get on really well together." She added, feeling a little guilty for her loose lipped confession. "What about you, are you married?" Georgie asked him, trying to move the subject on from her own situation.

Elvis laughed. "No, not married, but I do have a little girl. Her name is Laura. Me and her mum went out for a while and she was the happy result." He said proudly.

"You must miss her." Georgie stated.

"Yeah, that's the only thing I hate about this job, missing all the special moments with her and not being there to see her growing up. I wouldn't have chosen to have kids with this career but now she's here, I wouldn't be without her. I see her as often as I can when I'm home on leave." Elvis talked for a while about Laura, recounting for Georgie some of the more amusing anecdotes about her that came to mind. Georgie laughed along with him, enjoying hearing all about his young daughter.

"Cam and I talked about having kids some day." She smiled wistfully. "Although I'm not sure it will happen now...". She trailed off.

"It will, course it will, I'll get ya out of here Georgie, you'll have those kids. You'll be a great mum." Elvis said, convinced that he was right.

Georgie shook her head sadly. "I've had a couple of miscarriages since I've been here and I didn't have any medical treatment so I don't know if I can have children now." Georgie whispered so quietly, he barely heard her. Tears were starting to pour down her cheeks. Elvis was devastated for her. What bloody training had he had for this? He couldn't imagine how someone would cope with what she'd been through. He couldn't hold back any longer, sod the professionalism. He gently put his arms around her, careful not to spook her and pulled her towards him in a comforting embrace. They sank to the floor and he pulled her onto his lap, resting his back into the corner of the room. Georgie, having felt so frightened and so alone for so long, melted into him and sobbed quietly into his shoulder for the next hour or so, as he rocked her gently. Eventually she fell asleep and he continued to hold her until he too drifted off.

###

Elvis became aware of her stirring in his lap. "I'm so sorry." She finally said, her voice thick with tears, as she pulled away from his shoulder. "Please forgive me. I don't know what came over me."

"It's ok." Elvis said, looking into her red rimmed eyes and brushing the tears from her cheeks with his finger tips. "There's nothing to forgive, you've been through hell here. The very least I can do is offer you a shoulder to cry on. Make no mistake, if our positions were reversed, I'd be crying on your shoulder too." Elvis assured her brushing the hair back from her face tenderly.

It had been a long time since Georgie had felt so safe, which was totally ironic, as they were both still trapped inside this compound, surrounded by a fanatical group of terrorists. Something about this man just made her feel so secure, so cared for. She'd only known him such a short time and they'd barely had a chance to talk properly before tonight but she felt like she'd known him all her life. She'd never been someone who acted on impulse, all her life she'd been taught to think about how her actions would affect her family name. But things were not the same here, she was on a completely different course now. Who knew what the next few hours held for them; they could both be dead this time tomorrow. Without another thought, she leaned towards him and pressed her lips to his. He was clearly startled and she registered the shock that was reflected from his eyes. However, as the delicious sensation of his soft lips saturated her thoughts, he quickly recovered his composure and began to return her kiss...


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for following this story, as always please let me know what you think, it always inspires the writing. x**

 **Chapter** **5**

"Shit no!" What the fuck was he doing? This was wrong on so many levels. She was a vulnerable and probably mentally unstable hostage. He was here to liberate her, not to take advantage of her situation. All these thoughts were running through Elvis' mind as Georgie deepened the kiss. But bloody hell, it felt so good to be kissing her. He fancied her, he couldn't help that. After all, she was an incredibly attractive woman and he was a red blooded male but after everything she'd been through, it just didn't sit right with him to be doing this. Apart from that, she was a married woman, whose husband was none other than the government minister who'd arranged for him to be sent on this rescue mission in the first place!

He pulled back from her gently. "Georgie, we can't. We really shouldn't do this." He said, in as kindly a way as he could. He saw disappointment and hurt replacing the lust in her eyes.

"Why not?" She wanted to know. "I want it and I think you do too. We could both be dead tomorrow. Why not just live for the moment? We could both do with the comfort." Elvis studied her face for a moment. She meant what she said and she was definitely right about them possibly being dead tomorrow but even so, he did not want this complication. He needed to keep his mind on the job he'd been sent here to complete. "I need to keep focussed on this mission Georgie. I intend to get you out of here and to do that I can't afford to be distracted. I like you, I really do but you are married and your husband is waiting for you back home."

Georgie abruptly moved from his lap and knelt by his side. Him reminding her of Cam was like a slap in the face. What the hell was she thinking? She was married, although she hadn't seen her husband in two years. Her life with him seemed such a distant memory. She'd been a hostage almost as long as she'd been married. If she were ever to get out of here, she wasn't even sure she wanted that life anymore. She'd changed and she was sure Cam had too. She wondered what her parents would say if they could hear what she was thinking. They'd probably throw a hissy fit. But she'd had it with that life. After what she'd survived these last two years, she hoped she'd be strong enough to stand up to them now. This was her life, if she ever got to continue it at home, she wanted to live it her way.

Georgie looked him straight in the eye. "Ok, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that." She apologised. "I get why it would be awkward for you to get intimately involved with the hostage you're supposed to be rescuing. Actually, scratch that." She said , shaking her head. "I'm not really sorry for the kiss, I'm just sorry that it's difficult for you. I like you, I haven't felt safe in two years and you've made me feel that I am. Safe that is, with you. It means a lot to me." Georgie confided in him.

"I'm glad you feel like that, but that's really just my job." Elvis replied truthfully.

"No, i don't believe that, it's more than that. It's something within you. The person that you are, I feel like I've known you forever. It's such a comforting feeling. I'm so grateful to you for that."

Elvis was at a loss for words. He was glad that he was able to offer her some comfort and a feeling of security but the truth was, as soon as they left this room, she would again be at the mercy of the monsters outside. The thought bothered him more than it should. He was developing feelings for her, that was clear to him. Under normal circumstances he would be able to put those thoughts aside and get on with the job at hand but he was finding it more and more challenging to ignore the atrocities that Georgie was likely to be subjected to before he could get her out of this place. "Look, I will do everything in my power to get you out of here as soon as humanly possible but please let's just keep our focus on that for now." He pleaded.

Georgie nodded, in defeat. "Ok, what is the plan then?" She wanted to know.

"As I explained earlier the Syrian Defence Force are starting to make inroads into the surrounding villages and towns. Some cells are also managing the infiltrate the city. I'm hoping that we can make use of their attacks. Ghaazi is definitely fired up after getting shot today. If he starts sending out larger patrols to confront them, there might be an opportunity for us to make our getaway during one of those raids while it's quiet here. I will have to work out a way to get out of joining them on the raid or of doubling back here to get you. If we can make it to my contact, he has a couple of safe houses locally where we could lie low until the coast is clear to escape the city. It will be extremely high risk and there are no guarantees but it's that or stay here till the city is finally liberated and run the risk of being killed in the meanwhile. What do you think, are you willing to take the risk?"

Georgie thought for a moment, the longer she stayed here the higher the risk of her being murdered anyway and as far as the assaults and mental anguish she would be subjected to, she wasn't sure if she could take much more. She wasn't scared of taking the risk, she would be more scared staying here. As she'd confided in him earlier, she felt safe with him, she was confident that he would do all he could to protect her and get them out in one piece.

"Let's do it!" She said with a determined glint in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**To be honest, I have struggled to build up the enthusiasm to continue this story. So please let me know if you are enjoying it, perhaps that will inspire me! :-) xx**

 **What did we think of the new episode of OG? I was a bit nonplussed by it personally but then it was never gonna be the same for me without Elvis. :-(**

 **####**

 **I have jumped forward a bit in time. I will probably cover some of the missed stuff in flashbacks during the rest of the story.**

 **London 6 months later.**

Georgie cleared customs at Heathrow and was escorted to a private room where Cam and her parents were waiting impatiently to welcome her home and to hold her in their arms once again.

Everything had moved very quickly once she and Elvis had escaped Syria, over the border into Turkey. Elvis had handed her over to the British authorities there and that was the last she had seen of him. She felt completely empty. They had spent months in hiding together and he was all that had kept her going. Now she was totally lost without him. She'd asked the British Ambassador in Ankara what had happened to him and was told he was being debriefed and would then be returned to his unit. It hurt, after all they'd been through together, that he had not asked to see her before being sent home. She hoped it had not been just a mission to him and that now they were home he would not just go back to his life and forget about her. She still needed him.

As she approached the door, that currently shielded her from her old life, she felt a sense of panic begin to overwhelm her. They were going to want to touch her, to hug her, to ask her questions. They would want to know the details of her life in captivity. The very thought made her shudder, she couldn't bear it. The only person she wanted to talk to, the only one she felt safe with and whom she trusted, had deserted her. She felt the tears start to stream down her face just as the door burst open and her parents and Cam surged towards her.

#####

In the two weeks since Georgie had returned home she had barely spoken a word, Cam and her parents were at their wits end. They had known at the airport, when they met her plane, that the Georgie they once knew had not returned. In her place was a gaunt, haunted creature filled with a fear of everything and everyone. She relived the horrors she had experienced daily and nightly. She barely ate, nor did she sleep if she could help it, but if she did lose the battle to sheer fatigue, she would wake no more than an hour later screaming in terror. Cam or her mother would rush to her side to offer her comfort but she would have none of it. The name she called for was Elvis or occasionally Eshan, as she'd first known him, but _he_ never came. He was the only comfort she wanted, the only person who would understand.

She had been seeing a therapist daily since her return but even _she_ was making little headway breaking through the heavy defences that Georgie had painstakingly built up over the last couple of years.

Each session started the same way... "So Georgie, what do you want to talk about today?" The therapist would ask gently.

"Elvis, I need to see Elvis. Why won't they let me see him?" Was always the response she got from Georgie and the conversation rarely got further than that. With Georgie repeating the same question over and over again.

Eventually the therapist spoke to Cam about the lack of progress and about Georgie's severe attachment issues to the soldier who had rescued her.

"I think you might have to ask him to come and see her." Was the advice she gave him. "Sometimes in these situations it's the only way. She has built up this heroic image of him in her mind. She needs to see him on home ground, in normal circumstances, only then will she start to see him as a normal person who was just doing his job."

Cam had been thinking along similar lines already, he was no fool, he knew the types of horrors that Georgie would have faced on a daily basis in Syria. He had known that it was unlikely she would return to him unscathed and he had already reconciled himself to the fact that their marriage would never be the same. He was under no illusion that Georgie had ever been in love with him. He knew she had married him more out of friendship and a sense of family obligation and that had suited them both at the time. However, Cam had grown to love his wife deeply and although he understood that his feelings were unlikely to ever be reciprocated, he was content with the life they had. That had all gone now and much as it tore him up inside to know that he could not help her himself, maybe this Elvis Harte chap could. At this point he was willing to give anything a try.

####

Elvis was sitting at the bar drowning his sorrows with his best mate Charlie. He had been thoroughly de-briefed after returning to the UK and had given up every piece of useful intel that he could about the time he had spent in Syria. He had enjoyed a couple of days with Laura and caught up on all her news. He had been away for the best part of ten months, so there was lots to catch up on. He had missed his little munchkin and he couldn't believe how much she'd grown. Normally, at this point, he would be looking for some female company to help him unwind and to take his mind off of the more unpleasant aspects of his job. However, this last job wasn't like other tours or undercover operations he had experienced before. Because on this last job, he had fallen completely and utterly in love!

Charlie was eyeing him sympathetically. "How many times have I told you to keep away from married women?" Charlie was saying, condescendingly.

"How the fuck was I supposed to keep away from her, I was sent there to rescue her. We spent months together in hiding, waiting for our chance to escape the country. It wasn't my bloody fault I got tasked with rescuing such an amazing woman!" Elvis whined. He was really feeling sorry for himself and he was starting to get fed up of Charlie's holier than thou attitude. It was alright for him, he'd found the right woman and had managed to get a wedding ring on _her_ finger!

"What am I gonna do Charlie? This hurts like hell. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, walking away from her in Turkey. I just wanted to scoop her up and take her home with me. She looked so sad when I handed her over, she looked like I'd betrayed her or something. I'm desperate to call her up and ask if she'll see me but how can I?"

"You absolutely and definitely _must not_ call her or try to see her under any circumstances. Her husband is a government minister. You could lose your career. It's _just_ not worth that Elvis." Charlie told him sternly. "Absolutely no way - do you hear me?"

But Elvis wasn't listening, his attention was already elsewhere, on the phone that was vibrating in his pocket. Charlie saw the puzzled expression that crossed Elvis' face as he checked the caller number before putting the phone to his ear.

"Who was that?" Charlie asked, intrigued by the look on Elvis' face as he hung up the call.

Elvis, who was still staring at his phone, just shook his head and said in disbelief, "It was Cameron Stephens, Georgie's husband. He wants me to go and see her. Apparently she's not doing so well and she's been asking for me...a lot!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank** **you for your lovely reviews. And just look what they've done. Inspiration recovered, for now. :-) Keep them coming, they really do help.**

 **Enjoy! x**

 **Chapter 7**

Elvis found the house in Belgravia and stood outside, looking up at the impressive frontage through the wrought iron gates. These people had serious amounts of money. A house like this, in this area of London, must be worth absolute millions, he thought to himself. Georgie had told him all about her family and how they'd made their money. She had certainly grown up in a life of extreme privilege. The Georgie he knew didn't come across that way though, there was no air of entitlement, no airs and graces. She was basically a very down to earth sort of girl. He wondered how she'd managed to stay like that growing up the way she had. He was glad she had though, he was sure that her down to earth character was what had helped her survive the ordeal she had suffered. He and Georgie had spent months in very close confinement and had nothing to do but talk. They'd shared their life histories and all their hopes and dreams for the future. He knew all about her family members as she knew about his. In reality he was probably closer to this woman than anyone he'd ever known. Even members of his own family. How had he thought that he would be able to walk away from her?

He shifted uncomfortably and was transported back to his last conversation with Charlie. "You really don't have to do this mate." Charlie had said. "You've done more than your duty by bringing her back to them. It's not your job to nursemaid her through her PTSD now she's back. You could find yourself in very tricky circumstances getting involved in this." Charlie had warned him sternly.

"I know." Elvis agreed. "But she clearly needs me and they need me to help her. We got pretty close while we were in hiding and I really feel like a shit for just dropping her as soon as we got back to civilisation. Plus the fact that I really want to see her, in fact I need to see her as much as she needs to see me." Elvis admitted.

"When you say you got pretty close, what exactly do you mean by that?" Charlie had asked, scrutinising Elvis carefully.

"Well, we talked a great deal and well... you know...". Elvis trailed off looking embarrassed.

"Oh my god! Don't tell me you slept with her!" Charlie exploded. "What the fuck did you think you were playing at?" He'd fumed.

Elvis had, had the good grace to look ashamed.

"I know, I know." He'd said, putting his arms out to indicate that Charlie should calm down. "But to be fair Charlie, you don't know what it was like out there. We were holed up in a small house, pretty much in one room, for months together. Constantly under the threat of being discovered. We could have been found and executed at any time. Anyway, she was more than keen. I know it's hard to believe but It wasn't my idea, she was virtually throwing herself at me on a daily basis. It would have taken a saint not to succumb to her charms." Elvis had argued in his defence.

Shaking himself out of his musings Elvis pressed the buzzer on the intercom.

"Stephen's residence." Squawked a voice.

"Oh yeah hi, my name is Elvis Harte, Captain Elvis Harte, Mr Stephens is expecting me."

The gate began to swing inward and Elvis walked through. The front door opened as he approached. "Mr Stephens will be with you shortly Captain." Said a uniformed member of staff. "Please take a seat in here." He continued, showing Elvis into a very formal looking drawing room. Elvis looked around the room. In one corner was a grand piano decorated with framed family photographs. He stepped over and peered at the faces immortalised in these precious memories. There were some of Georgie and her sisters as children, at least he guessed that's who it was. But his attention was caught by a photo near the back of Georgie looking amazing in a white lace, floor length creation. He couldn't help but pick it up for a closer look. It almost took his breath away, she truly looked like a fairytale princess. He almost dropped it when the voice behind him said. "That's Georgie on our wedding day. My wife is a beautiful woman is she not Captain?" Elvis spun round to find himself face to face with Georgie's husband.

"Its a beautiful picture." Elvis agreed, cautiously. Putting it back down in its place.

Cameron was a similar height to Elvis himself although far less muscular and with Sandy coloured hair and blue eyes. Cameron put out his hand and introduced himself. Elvis took it and noted that he received a good firm handshake in response to his own. Much as he had hoped to dislike this man. The feeling he was getting already was that this was a man of integrity and good character.

Indicating that they should sit down Cameron asked Elvis if he would like anything to drink. He felt like he could do with a stiff double malt right about then but Elvis just shook his head in reply.

"What can I do for you Mr Stephens?" He said, cutting right to the chase. Georgie's husband looked slightly taken aback by Elvis' bluntness but quickly covered his surprise.

"Call me Cameron, please. I see you are a man who likes to get down to business, I admire that. Unfortunately, I spend too much of my time in parliament around master procrastinators and I'm afraid it can be somewhat catching."

Elvis smiled in response but said nothing, waiting for the answer to his earlier question.

Cameron, seeing that Elvis was waiting expectantly replied. "Well, I wanted to start off by telling you how grateful Georgie's parents and I am to you for bringing her home to us. It was a very difficult few years during which we feared we might never see her again. In fact for the most part, until you found her, we didn't even know if she were alive or dead. We will always be indebted to you for what you have done for us."

Elvis shifted awkwardly in his seat. He was not used to being on the receiving end of people's gratitude for what he did. He normally just did his bit and was then quickly extracted from the situation. This was outside of his normal experience.

"I was just doing my job." Elvis said, dismissively.

"Not at all!" Cameron answered. "To you it was your job but to us, Georgie's family, it was everything. So please accept our gratitude."

Elvis just nodded and gave an embarrassed half smile.

Anyway, as I said on the phone, Georgie has been struggling to adapt after her ordeal. In fact she has been fairly monosyllabic since her return. We have been briefed by your people and updated where possible on some of the details of what she went through." Cameron continued with a wince, as though he were in physical pain himself at the mere thought of Georgie's sufferings. "But we just can't get through to her at all, even the therapist has made very little progress with her."

Elvis felt sad that Georgie was finding it so difficult to assimilate back into her normal life. Some people never got back to how they were before. It changed you, the kind of experience she'd had.

"She's been through sheer hell, as you know. She's a tough cookie though. Not many women would have survived what she did. Even with all the training in the world it's difficult but she went through it all without any training at all and came through the other side. That's a miracle in itself. It is going to take a lot of time and patience to get her back to anywhere near the person she was but how can I be of help?" Elvis wanted to know.

"Well, she obviously formed a very close bond with you. I understand you were in hiding together for several months?"

Elvis nodded. "We were."

"The thing is, she calls for you whenever she has nightmares, which is virtually any time she closes her eyes. And during her therapy sessions the only thing she says is that she wants to see you." Cameron told him.

Elvis could see the hurt in Cameron's eyes. He couldn't imagine what it must be like to hear your wife calling out for another man. He actually felt really bad for the guy.

"The therapist says, and I agree with her, that Georgie needs to see you, to spend some time with you to help her get over her attachment issues." Cameron was looking at Elvis expectantly now.

Elvis pondered this information, did this guy really think that getting his wife to spend time with another guy, the one she has attachment issues to, was the best way to get her over him? Elvis wasn't at all sure that was going to work for Georgie or for himself. However, he knew one thing, he was going to do everything he could to help her, whatever form that was likely to take.

Elvis nodded his agreement.

Cameron had been watching him closely. He could see why Georgie might have become attached to this fellow, he was a handsome man, that was for sure but he also had an air of assurance about him which was attractive. After what Georgie had experienced, he could see why she might have fallen for her saviour. Cameron was pretty sure that something had happened between his wife and this soldier, for her to have become so attached to him, but he had to push that aside for now. The important thing was getting Georgie the help she so desperately required.

"I _need_ you to help her." Cameron pleaded. "I love my wife very much and I really want her to get better, do whatever you have to, to help her, do you understand me? I mean it - absolutely anything she needs - _no_ _matter_ _what_!"

Elvis was fairly certain that Cameron suspected that he and Georgie had been closer than was strictly professional and his words echoed around Elvis' head. The emphasis on the last three words were puzzling Elvis. Was this man really giving him the go ahead to have a relationship with _his_ wife? ...Because that's exactly what it sounded like.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter** **8**

Elvis stood outside her bedroom door. He'd already knocked twice but she had not answered.

"Georgie, it's me Elvis, can I come in?" He said gently. There was no response. He didn't want to invade her privacy but he was a little worried that she had not answered him. He turned the handle and pushed the door open slowly. "George, are you in here?" The room was in darkness, the curtains drawn. He slipped inside and closed the door behind him letting his eyes adjust to the dark. He listened carefully. He could hear her breathing over in the back left corner of the room. He moved towards her cautiously, he did not want to alarm her. "George it's me Elvis." He murmured.

He found her huddled in the corner on the floor. She was in some kind of catatonic state. Not hearing or seeing anything other than what was going on inside her own head. He slid down onto the floor beside her. He took her hand and rubbed it gently between his own. "George, it's me Elvis. I'm sorry it's taken so long but I'm here now. I'm here for as long as you need me." He brushed his fingers lightly down the side of her face. Suddenly, she blinked and turned towards him. "Elvis?" She asked incredulously, still not really seeing him. "Is it really you?" She asked, doubtfully. She pulled her hand out of his and lifted both her hands to touch his face. "Oh my god! It really is you, finally! I'm not imagining you being here." She launched herself into his open arms and he pulled her onto his lap as he had done all those months ago back in the compound in Raqqa. They just held each other for the longest time, without saying a word.

Eventually Elvis said. "Hello baby, I'm so sorry, I thought I was doing the right thing, letting you return to your old life, without me getting in the way, making things difficult for you."

"No, no, no! You could never be in the way. I love you Elvis! I need you." Georgie announced.

"I love you too baby. I've missed you." Elvis breathed into her ear.

"I can't believe you're finally here. I've been waiting for you to come. I knew you would eventually. It's been so difficult without you." Georgie confessed. "I keep thinking that I'm still there, in the early days, before you came. It's been terrifying. You weren't here to help me. I thought I was going mad."

"You're not going mad, you're just suffering from PTSD, it's quite normal after what you've been through George. I am here now and your husband has agreed that I should help you."

She pulled back from his embrace with a wounded expression on her face. "So is that the only reason you're here, because Cam asked you to come?"

Elvis gathered her back into his arms and looked into her eyes. "No of course not! I'm really sorry, I just didn't know what to do. You're married George and I could get into serious trouble for allowing myself to fall for you. But, It is just a coincidence that I'm here at _his_ behest. I would have found you myself anyway. The truth is, I was struggling too, without you." Elvis admitted. "I was just being a coward." He said, somewhat shamefaced.

Georgie smiled and looked into his eyes. "You are no coward Elvis Harte! That is the one thing you will never be." She assured him, with absolute certainty.

 **Raqqa - 6 months earlier.**

Most of the men had been ordered out on a raid of one of the neighbouring towns. There had been rumours of SDF activity in the area. Ghaazi had left only a small handful of trusted fighters to guard the compound. Georgie had been woken by the noise of them heading out earlier that morning. She tried to see out of the small barred window which allowed only the tiniest amount of light into her cell. Standing on her very tiptoes and pulling herself up on the window ledge, she could just about see into the courtyard of the compound. She scanned to see if Eshan was with them. Ever since their time together a week or so ago, she had waited patiently for the day when the circumstances might be right for them to escape this hellhole. She couldn't see him so she let herself drop to the floor. She curled up in the corner of the cell and tried to get back to sleep.

She had been dozing on and off for an hour or so when suddenly she heard someone approaching the door. She prayed that it would be Eshan and not one of the others but it appeared that God was not answering her prayers today, because as the door burst open Mahib appeared before her. He had brought her food and water but by the look on his face he expected something in return. Georgie's stomach turned over, not again, she could not stand this anymore. She _had_ to get out of here. Mahib put down his rifle by the door and came closer to where she was huddled in the corner. "You give me good time and I let you have food." He said, gesturing to the meagre, unappetising rations he'd left on the floor by the door. "No, it's ok, I don't want it." Georgie cried, trying to push herself further into the corner, hoping that he would leave her alone. But Mahib wasn't in the mood to take no for an answer. He was angry at being left behind again, Ghaazi didn't seem to appreciate what a great fighter he was, this was the second time in a row he'd been left behind while the others got to go and have all the fun tearing up the neighbouring towns. Well if he was missing out on that fun, he'd make some of his own. He leaned down and grabbed a handful of Georgie's hair and pulled her to her feet. Georgie screamed in pain and tried to pull herself free. Mahib swung back his hand and slapped her hard across the face. Georgie literally saw stars. He was still holding her by the hair and she tried to reach out to steady herself. Suddenly though Mahib's hold on her slackened and his eyes glassed over. Blood started to dribble out of his mouth which had opened in shocked surprise. Before Georgie could work out what had happened, he slumped to the floor at her feet. A large knife was wedged between his shoulder blades.

Eshan, who stood behind him, stepped over the body and grabbed Georgie to stop her falling. "Are you ok?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't get back here any earlier." Georgie was in shock but she nodded and threw herself into his arms. "Please just get me out of here." She sobbed.

"We've got to move fast. I've already neutralised the remaining few guards but it's only a matter of time before Ghaazi tries to check-in with one of them. My contact is waiting to meet us a couple of miles away. We need to meet him and switch vehicles, then he will escort us to a safe house. Let's go!" Eshan took her hand and helped her step over Mahib's body. "Glad I was the one to send that bastard to meet his maker. Good luck with that mate." Eshan muttered dismissively, as they left the cell.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi there. Sorry it's been a while again. I'm just finding it hard to keep motivated. I miss Elvis! Our Girl is just not the same without him. :-(. I need to have a rewatch of S2 &3\. Please review as that certainly helps keep me motivated. Thanks to all who follow. xx**

Elvis and Georgie were strolling through the gardens of Georgie's home in Belgravia. It was an unusually large garden for a house in the centre of town and there were a small team of gardeners who kept it in order. Elvis and Georgie were discussing the nightmare that she had, had the previous night and Elvis was trying to reassure her that these nightmares would decrease in time. He and her therapist were pleased with the progress she seemed to be making. When he had first arrived, she would rarely even venture out of her bedroom, let alone be comfortable outside. Now she was responding well to her daily therapy sessions and was out walking happily through the gardens with him, even timidly saying "hi" to the gardeners if they passed one of them on their stroll

Elvis had been staying at the house for a week. He had his own rooms next to Georgie's, So was able to be with her to comfort her quickly if she called for him. He hadn't seen too much of Cameron since that first meeting. Cameron had told him that he must make himself at home and that he was welcome to stay as long as Georgie needed him. Elvis was still trying to work out what was going on in Cameron's head. It must be killing him to see his wife so dependent on another man, _surely_!

The servants, of which there were many, seemed to accept him as though he had always been there and if they thought it odd that he was spending so much time with the lady of the house, they did not show it.

For his part, Elvis was trying his best to be discreet. Georgie was far from 100% well, so he had no intention of their situation becoming anything more than a friendship for the time being. Georgie seemed quite content to just have him by her side while she recovered.

Although Elvis was on extended leave, due to his recent long posting, he was still expected to check in regularly and keep his training up to date. He realised he needed to talk to Georgie about what was likely to happen if he was called back to active duty, which was always a possibility. He was worried about her reaction if that were to happen any time soon.

"Georgie, you do realise that I could be called back to my unit at any time don't you? I'm due some leave but it could happen that I could be recalled, if I was needed." Elvis warned her gently. Georgie stopped walking and turned towards him, a strange expression on her face. "It has crossed my mind and I know eventually you will have to go back to the army, you're a soldier after all. I just hope it won't be too soon. I could ask Cam to speak to your commanding officer and have you released from duty, so you could stay?" Georgie suggested hopefully. She could tell instantly that Elvis was not pleased with that suggestion. " I can't let you do that George, much as I'd love to stay with you, I don't want it to be like that. I have a job to do that I love and I'm good at. I don't want your husband messing with that." Georgie smiled up at him, she understood how he felt. All her life she'd been a puppet with her parents and Cam to some extent, pulling her strings. She could see why he wouldn't want to fall into that trap. "I understand how you feel but if you do have to go, you won't just forget about me, will you? I love you Elvis, you know that don't you?"

"Yes, I do baby and I love you too. What are we going to do about that eh? I can't give you the life you deserve, this life that you have here with your husband." He smiled sadly at her.

"Anyway listen," he said changing the subject quickly. "I need to go and see Laura tomorrow. Would you like to come and meet her?"

Georgie beamed at him. "Yes, I would love to meet her." She replied, flinging her arms around his neck. "That reminds me, I haven't told you, when the doctors examined me after I got home, they said that there did not appear to be any lasting damage to any of my organs. They didn't see any reason why I should not be able to conceive again and carry a baby to full term when I'm ready." Georgie gushed, hugging Elvis tight. He knew how worried she had been about that and how much being a mother meant to her. He was genuinely so pleased for her.

"That's amazing news Georgie." He replied with feeling, returning her hug and kissing the top of her head. He tried to ignore the pang of jealousy he felt at the thought that the babies she might have would be with Cameron and not him.

Cameron was watching them from his study window. He felt a sharp pain in his hand and realised that he had broken the glass he was holding. He reached for the handkerchief in his top pocket and wound it round his wounded hand to halt the flow of blood. He felt sick at the sight of his wife in the arms of another man. But he couldn't deny the fact that Elvis being here had helped bring Georgie back, in more than just the physical sense. Once she was fully recovered they would review the situation regarding 'her companion' but in the meantime he would grin and bear it for the sake of Georgie's recovery. Her parents were also aware of Elvis' presence but were willing to turn a blind eye to the irregularity of it, in the interests of having their daughter back completely well.

####

Elvis held his arms wide and Laura launched herself into them with the absolute assurance that he would catch her and keep her safe. "Daddy, daddy, daddy, I missed you!" She chirped, as he swung her up into his arms. She held his face between her chubby little fingers and held it still so she could plant a big kiss on his nose. Georgie looked at the pair, who were so clearly besotted with each other. She felt her heart constrict at the sight of Elvis holding his daughter in his arms. In that moment Georgie knew she would gladly give up everything she had, all of her fortune, to have what Elvis and Laura had together.

"Princess, I want you to meet a very good friend of Daddy's - this is Georgie." He said, standing Laura down on the floor facing Georgie.

"Georgie, this is my little Princess, Laura." He told her sincerely.

"Hello Laura, I'm very pleased to meet you." Georgie told the little girl as she bent down on one knee to make eye contact with the little girl.

"Hello." Laura replied shyly. "Do you work with my daddy? He works a lot. Mummy says he is very brave and he does a very important job. Do you have an important job too?" Laura wanted to know. Georgie smiled at the little girl's solemn interrogation. "No, I don't work with your daddy. In fact I don't have a job at the moment. But I met your daddy while he was doing his important work and he helped me to get out of a very scary place. Your mummy is right, he is very brave." Laura considered this piece of information and then deciding that she was satisfied, she nodded. "Are you coming to the park with Daddy and me today?" She asked.

"If that's ok with you, I'd really enjoy that." Georgie replied.

Laura held out her hand to Georgie. "Come on then, let's go Georgie."

Elvis raised his eyebrows and grinned at Georgie over Laura's head, clearly surprised at how well their meeting had gone.

####

"That was so much fun." Georgie declared. "Laura is an amazing little girl. You and Debbie are so lucky to have her."

Elvis put the car into drive and pulled away from the front of Debbie's house.

"She loves you. I heard her telling Debbie that she wants you to be her new best friend." Elvis chuckled to himself.

"I hope Debbie was ok about me being here today. What does she know about me?" Georgie wondered.

"Well, she doesn't know any of the detail of how we met but I'm sure she'll be wondering after what you told Laura about me rescuing you. I don't doubt she will quiz Laura about what she knows. I just said you were a very good friend and let her draw her own conclusions. I hope that's ok?" Elvis shot a look in Georgie's direction to gauge her reaction.

"Of course it's ok, they're your family Elvis, whatever you think best is fine with me. " Georgie reached across and gently squeezed his leg.

"Thank you for today, it's the first time I've felt 'normal' in the longest time. Probably even from before I was kidnapped. I've always led such a sheltered existence, protected from the outside world. Obviously that changed when I was taken but it just felt so good to be carefree and ordinary today."

"Yeah, kids'll do that for you, bring you right down to earth." Elvis laughed. "But I'm glad you enjoyed it Georgie."

####

Elvis pulled the car into the underground parking garage beneath the house.

"Better get you tucked up in bed sleeping beauty, you must be shattered." Elvis told her, affectionately tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're not used to all this activity and fresh air."

They got into the lift that would take them up into the entrance hall on the ground floor of the house. Georgie was exhausted and snuggled close to Elvis for support.

They were reliving a particularly funny incident involving Laura from earlier in the day and they had both collapsed into fits of giggles just as the doors to the lift slid open to reveal a furious Cameron.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Cameron shouted. He was absolutely incandescent with rage. "There's been a very serious development and neither I, nor your parents had any idea where you were." It was clearly Georgie he was addressing but it was Elvis who was on the receiving end of his murderous glare.


	10. Chapter 10

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to update again. Inspiration just wasn't forthcoming I'm afraid. Please review if you are invested in this story. That always helps the process. Thanks for following Xx

 **Chapter 10**

Elvis wasn't intimidated by Cameron's angry bluster. He was well aware that he could cause him all sorts of problems in his career if he chose to but Elvis didn't think he would. Cameron needed Elvis at the moment, more than Elvis needed to stay on his good side.

Elvis stepped forward. "What's the problem sir?" He enquired quietly.

Cameron paused, a little taken aback, Elvis had reacted so calmly to his furious outburst, it made him feel slightly foolish. He stepped back and loosened his collar uncomfortably.

"What is it Cam?" Georgie asked anxiously. "You're scaring me - just tell us."

Georgie's anxiety focussed his mind and brought him back into the present. He wasn't sure if she should hear this but he'd made such a song and dance about it in front of her, he'd backed himself into a corner. He took a deep breath and decided to go ahead.

"There's been some new intelligence. We think the commander in charge of the cell that kidnapped you has managed to get into the UK. There's sufficient evidence to suggest that he might be planning terrorist activities on home soil. We also can't rule out the possibility that he is planning a revenge attack involving you. Intelligence suggests he felt incredibly humiliated by your escape."

Georgie started to shake uncontrollably. "Ghaazi! Ghaazi is here? I dream about him coming for me every time I close my eyes and now he is, he really truly is. He's coming to get me. I can't go back there, I can't!" Georgie shouted, grabbing hold of Elvis' arm in terror. He in turn held onto her as he could feel her body giving into the darkness as she started to slide towards the ground.

"Maybe not the best idea Sir, sharing that news with her like that." Elvis was livid that Cameron had been so stupid. He could have set her recovery back to square one. He slid one arm around her back and the other under her knees so that he could support her weight and lift her into his arms before she passed out. "She's in shock, I'll take her up to her room." He offered. "Can someone please call her doctor, she may need some medication." Elvis suggested as he took charge of the situation.

Cameron watched Elvis carry Georgie up the stairs. He was annoyed with himself for being so irresponsible. He wondered whether he should follow them up but he knew he would only be surplus to requirements. This whole situation with Elvis being around for Georgie all the time was really starting to grate on him. It made him feel like he was inferior in some way, like he wasn't enough for his own wife. He knew she needed Elvis right now and maybe even more so in light of this new information but he was struggling to cope with their new reality.

####

Georgie came round slowly, her head was throbbing and her chest felt tight. Something had terrified her, she couldn't quite remember what it was but the terror still gripped her heart. "Elvis!" She called anxiously. "Elvis!"

"Shh, I'm here George, I'm here it's ok." Elvis had been standing at the window peering through a gap in the closed curtains at the street outside.

"What happened? I know something bad happened when we got back yesterday but I can't remember what." Georgie cried, her voice filled with panic.

Elvis was now by her side stroking her hair. He was not sure how much he should tell her but clearly, although she could not remember the events of the previous night, she knew something was wrong.

"You need to try to stay calm Georgie and remember that I'm here with you, I'm not leaving any time soon and I am not going to let anything bad happen to you. Do you trust me?" Elvis asked her. Georgie stared into his face, this was the face of the person she trusted with her life. She owed her very existence to this man. She would not have survived much longer where she was, had he not arrived like the gift from god that he was, in answer to all her prayers. She stroked his cheek and nodded, smiling up at him. "Of course I do Elvis, you know I do."

Elvis gently recounted Cameron's story from the night before omitting the part about any possible revenge. He continued to stroke her hair and assure her he would not let anything happen to her until eventually the medication overcame her again and she drifted back to sleep.

####

Elvis took the opportunity whilst Georgie was sleeping to touch base with his boss. He wanted to glean as much information as he could about Ghaazi's known movements since entering the UK. It transpired that he had entered the country three weeks ago using an assumed identity. He was believed to be in the Birmingham area currently recruiting supporters. Elvis was relieved to hear that there was no real evidence that he was after Georgie. That was obviously just Cameron exaggerating the danger to make his point. But they couldn't ignore the fact that the possibility remained. The Brigadier was not happy about Elvis' prolonged involvement with 'the primary' from this most recent mission, it was most irregular, but so much pressure had been put on him from the Ministry of Defence to allow it, he had been given no choice. However, he made his feelings clear to Elvis at every possible opportunity. Elvis ended the call, his ears ringing with the Brigadier's displeasure. He wasn't going to worry unduly about Ghaazi's presence in the UK and he certainly wasn't going to let Georgie worry about it, if he could help it but he would be especially vigilant from now on when they were out and about and he would keep his ear to the ground for any further intelligence.

####

The mosque was filling up. Ghaazi smiled slyly down on the crowd from the balcony above. So many susceptible young men just waiting to be turned into soldiers. His soldiers. He enjoyed this part of the process, watching these raw young men beginning their journey of enlightenment. He had so many plans. He intended to set the world on fire. He'd show all those who had dared to cross him that he was someone to take notice of, someone to be feared.


	11. Chapter 11

**The dream was always the same...** _Georgie glanced nervously over her shoulder, she was sitting beside Eshan in the cab of the truck. Her heart was pounding and she could feel the beads of sweat trickling down her back._

" _What if we're stopped?" Georgie asked, terrified. "What if they catch up to us?" Adrenalin was flooding through her veins. Eshan looked relaxed though, like he'd done this a million times before. "It's ok Georgie, it'll be ok." He told her calmly taking one hand off the steering wheel to rub her arm soothingly. Just then a truck pulled out of a side road ahead of them. In the back of the vehicle were four men armed with guns. They were looking curiously at Eshan and Georgie and one of them banged on the roof of the cab and shouted something to their driver._

 _Eshan swore under his breath._

" _What's your name?" Georgie asked._

" _What?" Eshan said glancing at her, confused._

" _What's your real name? We might be about to die and I don't even know your real name." She said, her voice rising with desperation._

" _Elvis, Elvis Harte." He replied smiling at her._

 _Georgie laughed. "What a great name. It's so much better than Eshan. I love it! I'm so happy to have met you Elvis Harte."_

 _Suddenly the truck in front slammed on its brakes and the four men jumped out and ran towards them aiming their weapons at Elvis and Georgie._

 _Her eyes wide with terror, Georgie turned to Elvis just as the first bullet hit him in the head spraying her face with his blood, brains and fragments of his skull..._

Georgie woke up soaked in sweat and screaming Elvis' name. As usual, he was beside her in an instant.

It was a recurring dream that had its roots in an actual event. As they'd made their escape from the compound in Raqqa a similar conversation had taken place in the getaway vehicle but fortunately not the horrific ambush. Thankfully, in reality, they had managed to reach Elvis' contact to change vehicles and then proceed to the safe house without incident. Although Georgie had found the escape terrifying and had taken some time to get over the trauma once they reached their destination. Although the months they spent in hiding were equally traumatic, with the threat of discovery looming over them constantly and with several near misses of potential capture along the way.

She had spoken to her therapist many times about the dream and what it might mean. Her therapist suggested that escaping had been all she'd focussed on for those two years in captivity and it was obviously so important to her. Then when it finally happened, Elvis turned out to be the key to her freedom. Somehow she'd linked Elvis and her freedom so inexorably in her mind that they were one and the same thing. Her therapist suggested that this must be why she needed Elvis to be with her constantly as she feared without him by her side she would lose her hard won freedom.

Georgie could see the logic in what the therapist said but she knew her feelings for Elvis ran much deeper than that. Yes, he had definitely been her saviour in the physical sense. But there was so much more to it. The months they had spent together, in close confinement, had created such a strong bond between them. She knew he felt it too. They had come to know each other so well. She loved him for the person he was deep down, not the soldier or hero he sometimes was. He had opened up a whole new world to her. A life that she had never imagined was possible for her. She felt that to lose him now would more than she could bear. Maybe what the therapist said was true but not just about her freedom in the literal sense but her freedom to live the life she wanted. A life with him. But she could see that she was putting him in an impossible situation the way things currently were, here with her and Cam.

####

Gradually Georgie began to regain her strength. Her therapy sessions were going well and Elvis, although now on a semi permanent secondment as Georgie's Personal Protection Officer, had been able to take up some part time duties at the home office, to keep himself up to date on any current terrorist activities. He had not been particularly happy about the PPO secondment, as it restricted him from being called for active service but at the end of the day, the decision had been taken out of his hands by his superiors. However, he enjoyed spending as much time as he could with Georgie and always made the most of their time together.

Ghaazi had gone to ground and there had been no new intelligence on him in recent weeks so Elvis was keeping his ear to the ground, eagerly awaiting an update. In the meanwhile He decided it was time he and Georgie had some fun. Her parents had been around more often recently and were starting to put pressure on her to re-enter society. They felt it was time for her to start stepping up and being the dutiful wife to Cameron in his political career. Elvis could sense that her parents felt he was getting in the way of her marriage. They were extremely polite to him and had never stopped telling him how grateful they were to him for bringing Georgie back to them but they were clearly uncomfortable with his continuing presence in Georgie's life.

####

"Where are we going?" Georgie asked, bouncing up and down in her seat like an excited 4 year old on Christmas Morning. She loved Elvis' surprises. He was always thinking up fun little things for them to see or do.

"Well, I thought you might like to meet my family. Yours have been around so much lately, it got me thinking that I'd like ya to meet mine." Elvis suggested.

"Oh Elvis, what a wonderful idea. I'd absolutely love to!" She was thrilled at the prospect. She made him stop on the way there so she could pick up flowers and wine to take as gifts. She was so excited that she chatted animatedly for over an hour, all the way to his parents house in Hoddesdon, barely pausing for breath.

####

Elvis' huge family were delighted to see him. They were all there, his parents, his sisters and their families, aunts and uncles and cousins. It was clear that they were all very close and they made it obvious that they disapproved of the fact that they didn't get to see him very often. Georgie was made to feel extremely welcome and she was relieved that they didn't ask her any awkward questions that she couldn't answer. She made a mental note to ask him what he'd told them about her (and their relationship) afterwards.

Shortly after lunch Elvis grabbed her hand and they escaped the noise and chaos into the garden. Elvis led her over to the swing that had been there since he was a child and now fulfilled the playtime needs of his nieces, nephews and younger cousins.

Salvatore and Louisa Harte watched their son and his young lady from the dining room window.

"I hope he knows what he's doing." Louisa worried aloud. "Charles seemed so concerned about him when we spoke last week. He said that this relationship could even put his career at risk!"

Her husband wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head. "He's a grown man my love, he has to make his own decisions, right or wrong. You can't tell him what he should or shouldn't do and you can't take away his pain, as much as I know you long to."

Elvis had sat down on the swing and Georgie was quizzing him about his family's Italian roots. He explained that his great-grandparents had been Italian prisoners of war and had decided to stay in England and settle in Hoddesdon after the war. Georgie felt that it made her roots seem quite dull in comparison. Elvis disagreed and pulled her down onto his lap. He knew he shouldn't do it but he couldn't help himself. Seeing her here in the heart of his family just felt so right. He gently pulled her face towards him and brushed his lips over hers planting a tender kiss on her lips. She put her arms around his neck and nestled into his shoulder.

"What the hell are we going to do George?" He whispered in anguish, burying his face in her dark silky hair.

 **As always, many thanks to all those who follow and review. Hope you enjoyed the update. x**


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